Adele - Hello - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords D, Em, C, G, G/D, Bm, A, B … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

D A D G B E
Em  G/D  D  C

    Em   G/D       D  C
Hello,       it's me
       Em       G/D
I was wondering if after all
       D                C
These years you'd like to meet
      Em   G/D        D   C
To go over     everything
               Em
They say that time's
          G/D
Supposed to heal ya
             D         C
But I ain't done much healing

    Em  G/D          D       C
Hello,      can you hear me
        Em      G/D
I'm in California dreaming about
  D          C
Who we used to be

              Em     G/D       D  C
When we were younger     and free
         Em        G/D
I've forgotten how it felt before
     D            C
The world fell at our feet

                Em       D
There's such a difference   
    Bm  C
Between us
       Em  D   C
And a million miles

 Em          C        G  D
Hello from the other siiiiide
   Em             C           G  D
I must've called a thousand tiiiiimes
         Em      C
To tell you I'm sorry 
           G              D
For everything that I've done
            Em       C
But when I call you never
 G          D
Seem to be home

 Em          C     G  D
Hello from the outsiiiiide
    Em          C              G  D
At least I can say that I've triiiiied 
         Em      C
To tell you I'm sorry

      G            D
For breaking your heart
                 Em       C
But it don't matter, it clearly 
         G         D
Doesn't tear you apart anymore

Repete Intro: Em  G/D  D  C

    Em  G/D     D        C
Hello,      how are you
         Em     G/D
It's so typical of me to talk
  D          C
About myself I'm sorry
   Em  G/D              D   C
I hope     that you're well
        Em        G/D
Did you ever make it out of that town
       D        C
Where nothing ever happened

         Em   D
It's no secret
          Bm     C
That the both of us
     Em     D       C
Are running out of time

 Em          C        G  D
Hello from the other siiiiide
   Em             C           G  D
I must've called a thousand tiiiiimes
         Em      C
To tell you I'm sorry 
           G              D
For everything that I've done
            Em       C
But when I call you never
 G          D
Seem to be home

 Em          C     G  D
Hello from the outsiiiiide
    Em          C              G  D
At least I can say that I've triiiiied 
         Em      C
To tell you I'm sorry
      G            D
For breaking your heart
                 Em       C
But it don't matter, it clearly 
         G         D       Em  C
Doesn't tear you apart anymore
D   G     Em  C
Oh,   anymore
D   G     Em  C
Oh,   anymore
D   G     Em  C
Oh,   anymore
    D
Anymore

 Em          C        G  D
Hello from the other siiiiide
   Em             C           G  D
I must've called a thousand tiiiiimes
         Em      C
To tell you I'm sorry 
           G              D
For everything that I've done
            Em       C
But when I call you never
 G          D
Seem to be home

 Em          C     G  D
Hello from the outsiiiiide
    Em          C              G  D
At least I can say that I've triiiiied 
         Em      C
To tell you I'm sorry
      G            D
For breaking your heart
                 Em       C
But it don't matter, it clearly 
         G         D
Doesn't tear you apart anymore

End of song Play again?

Adele - Hello Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Hello: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Ab major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

F minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
#7 = E (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	—
bII	A	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	A · C# · E	1×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	—
biii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	2×
bIII	B	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	B · D# · F#	1×
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	—
III	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	45×
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	—
#IV	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	47×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	—
bvi	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	45×
bVI	E	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	E · G# · B	1×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	—
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—
V/iii	G	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	28×
V/iii	G/D	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	13×

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	—
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
V/v	G	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	28×
V/v	G/D	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	13×
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	—
#III	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	1×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	—
#iv	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	2×
#IV	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	1×
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	—
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	45×
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	—
#VI	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	47×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	—
#vii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	45×
#VII	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	1×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 9 different chords appear 183 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. G, G/D act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. A, B, E are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.

Improvisation tips

Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When C comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On A, follow the chord's notes (A · C# · E) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With Ab major shapes

Capo 1 + G shapes
Capo 4 + E shapes
Capo 6 + D shapes

With F minor shapes

Capo 1 + Em shapes
Capo 3 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening D lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are D, Em, C, G; read them as #IV–bvi–III–V/iii in Ab or #VI–#vii–V–V/v in Fm. C is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (III), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. It closes on D, letting the Ab side have the last word.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.